Brock Reveals Base-stealing Secrets Cards' Hall Of Famer Will Play In Old-timers Game In Philadelphia Today

July 26, 1986|by CHRIS LINDSLEY, The Morning Call

As the Phils' Shane Rawley picked two would-be Astro base stealers off first in the first two innings of Thursday's game at the Vet, Lou Brock, the majors all-time base-stealing king, shook his head in dismay.

"They gambled. They can't read his move so they gambled," said the Hall of Famer, who swiped 938 bases in 19 seasons. "Every pitcher who has a great move is off balance to the left, and while he can keep the runner close to the base, it takes him longer to deliver the ball home, so whatever he took away from you he gave back.

"Most players think their lead has to go to a certain point, regardless of what the pitcher's move is, and that's where they lose the battle. But a good base stealer, against a guy he can't read, he'll run from the bag and he'll beat the throw anyway because the pitcher's not programmed to throw over there."

Brock, who's been out of a St. Louis Cardinal uniform since 1979, sounds and looks like he could steal his share of bases at 47. And today at 6 p.m. prior to the Phillies-Astros game, he will be just one of many of the game's former stars in The Equitable Old-Timers Baseball Series.

The game features former Phillies' stars Dick Allen, Greg Luzinski, Tug McGraw, Willie Montanez and many more, who will face The Equitable All-Stars, including former greats Yogi Berra, Bobby Thomson, Bill Mazeroski, Tony Oliva and Brock, to name only a few.

While this may sound like any ordinary old-timers game, Brock said The Equitable Series, with a game played in all 26 major league stadiums, is special. He said at each game The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States is donating $10,000to a fund to aid former major leaguers in need, an idea he said has always been discussed, but nothing had ever been set up until Peter Ueberroth took over as commissioner of baseball. "He has refused to let baseball lose sight of its tradition," Brock said.

Even though he was talking about the old-timers contest, his mind was on the game, or rather the Rawley-Astro base runner confrontations of the first two innings.

"The pitcher should never beat a base stealer at his game, because the base stealer has more time to put into the thought process," Brock said. "So when you see pickoffs like we've seen, the player either misread, or has not put in the time to control the thought process. Because if you wanted to, you could go out there and stand on first base and the guy would never throw.

"People say to me you stole a lot of bases off (Steve) Carlton, with that great move of his. How did you do it? I took away his throw to first. How do you do that? Stand on the base and run from there."

One could sense Brock wanting to be on first at that very moment to prove his point the way he knew best. "It's like a chess game. You've got to beat the guy to the next move," he said, something which the Astros weren't doing.

Brock, the most prolific base stealer the game has ever known, beat the pitcher to the next move 118 times in 1974 to set the major league single season mark. Ricky Henderson swiped 130 bases in 1982 for Oakland to eclipse that mark, but Brock isn't bothered by that. He said what he and Maury Wills of the Dodgers did on the basepaths has revolutionized the game, making base stealing an acceptable offensive weapon.

"I was one of those players who changed the shape of players' minds for decades to come," Brock said. "The running game prior to Maury Wills and I was basically non-existent, so somewhere along the line we became a symbol, a hope for those who wanted to do those things. We forced the stolen base to be an acceptable contribution, wiping out a whole generation of thinking. Those who had that ability are no longer sports personalities, they've become symbols. And do I consider myself as one of the symbols of the game? Yes."

Stealing bases may have been Brock's trademark, but he could also swing the bat as well. He left the game with 3,023 hits, and a lifetime .293 average. As with any great player, Brock performed best when it counted most - in the World Series. He played in three with the Cardinals, and batted an outstanding .391, the highest average ever for anyone playing in at least 20 Series games. In the 1967 and '68 World Series, he batted over .400 against both Boston and Detroit, and he also set a Series mark for stolen bases in a seven-game Series as he swiped seven both years.

So what was his greatest achievement? "Three thousand hits is still the crown of my career," Brock said, quickly adding his numerous stolen base and World Series records in a manner that would have made Pete Rose proud. He added, however, that there is no one record he considers to be his identity.

At a time when some players hang on too long trying to reach some elusive milestone, Brock attained his goals, and left the game content.

"There were players who were successful but did not realize their last quest in the game, and they left the sport frustrated," Brock said. "But I fall into the category knowing full well I could become a fan again. If your last quest can be identified and you achieve it, then you're able to walk away from the game with a deep sense of satisfaction."

Brock's not through just yet, though. He said playing in games like today's allows him to give something back to the game,back to the players who helped build the foundation baseball has thrived on in years since.

This game is also likely to be a little more competitive than your typical old-timers matchup in that most of the players are in their 40's and 50's, or, as Brock said, "players who can still play."

One of whom is Brock. Asked what he'd do if he made it to first, he just smiled. It was a knowing smile. He wouldn't make the same mistake the Astros were making. He'd run from the base - and make it.